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incorrect-password-loop · 10 months ago

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Boomers how come this has no notes??

Me to friend: “give me smth to write out”

Friend: “Someone who was cast out of their family for consorting with devils, the family unknowing that they did so to save their village/town/city?”

——-

“Do you think…we would be strong enough to say, save the village if a monster ever attacked?” She kicked the straw dummy with enough force to send a grown buffalo flying, or it seemed that way.

She lowered her leg, her feet and hands were covered in bandages, they hid the many scars and cuts she had gathered over the years of training and fighting. She looked to me. “So? Do you think we could?”

I looked down. “Maybe you would be able to. I’m just...” The disappointment. They never seemed to say it aloud, yet whenever sis would come home, father and mother flocked to her, asking her how she’d been what she wanted for dinner. It might not seem like much but, they barely ever payed me a glance.

I hated it.

“Oh cmon bud,” Sis walked over and pat my hair, tousling it. “Don’t say that, we both know you’re strong in your own way.” She smiled. I knew she was wrong. “Cmon show me what you’ve drawn.” She looked down at my notebook but I pulled it away.

I averted my gaze. “I…I’m gonna go I think.” I stood up and held my notebook to my chest. “See you at dinner May.”

I didn’t look back at May as I walked. She probably would go back to training for a few more hours before dinner, then she would go home and be praised by everyone. They might not even notice if I didn’t show up.

——

The woods were quiet, I liked it, no one ever bothered me here, though how different was that than my normal life? I guess here…there was no one who could notice me. So being ignored didn’t feel as bad.

I laid up against a tree and pulled out my notebook. I had been drawing May. Her foot was suspended in the air as she kicked the dummy. I hadn’t finished the drawing yet. I flipped to a new page and began to sketch.

I heard a low sound like wind whistling going past my ear. I thought it might be a bug so I slapped the air. Instead of hearing a splat as I squashed the bug, I heard a low chuckle.

I jumped up from my spot as I frantically looked around. “Who’s there?” I screamed, my voice cracked as I tried to reason with myself. No one was here, it was just my imagination.

“Hahaha.” There it was again. I started to shake, my only weapon was my pen, and that wouldn’t help me much. I tried to look around for a branch or stick, I couldn’t find any. If only I was strong like May, maybe I could just fist fight this demon.

“Oh my don’t look so frightened. You might wet your pants little one, hahaha.” The wind swirled around where the voice came, black mist wafted from its place as it churned. I looked on with terror.

The wind started to suck up anything around it, leaves, branches, even a small squirrel yelped as it was pulled into the vortex. Even I was getting sucked into it. I clawed on the ground in an attempt to keep myself from being sucked in.

Suddenly, it stopped. Everything fell silent. I fell to the ground panting hard. I was afraid I truly did wet myself. I slowly turned around and was met with the face of…a man in a suit?

“Hello there young one.” The man tipped his hat in greeting. He had a cane that he held tightly. It was hard to tell if it was a weapon or not.

“My my, no need to keep shaking like that. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Erebus. I doubt you have heard my name before.” He smirked as he checked his nails, he sent a look my way.

“I, I know you. Erebus, son of Chaos, you-your the god of darkness, isn’t that right?”

He smirked again. “Close enough, seems I can cut my introduction short then.” He stalked towards me. “I have a favor young one, you want power yes?”

I tried not to cower under his gaze, I clutched my notebook. “Yes.”

His eyes turned to crescents. “I can help you with that. Just make a little contract with me and I can give you all the power you want. Deal?” He outstretched his hand.

I looked at him. Should I accept? If I accepted then…I could be strong. Mother and Father wouldn’t ignore me anymore. May would fight with me rather than for me. I could be a hero.

I brought my hand up and shook his. Immediately the air changed, black mist began to swirl around us as Erebus’s hat started to hover.

“Is that a deal boy?”

I gulped.

“Deal.”

——

“Mom, Dad, shouldn’t we wait for Ozzy?” May put down her fork. The table had been plattered with her favorite foods, in celebration of finishing her studies.

Her mother looked up from eating her steak. She chewed and swallowed. May cringed. She could always hear it when they chewed and swallowed, it hurt her ears. She liked it when her parents talked, even if every time they talked they argued. At least she didn’t have to hear them eating.

Her mother cocked her head to the side. Her eyes were dull and tired, she had eye bags that she had tried to cover with makeup, it didn’t work. “Ozzy? Oh that’s right.” Her mother looked down. “He didn’t come. He always does.”

“Yes I know that’s…do you think something happened? People have been talking about monsters in the forest. A few kids came back and mentioned a creepy man in a suit. Do you think Oz-“

“Oh honey.” Her father smiled tiredly. “Those stories are made up by the imaginative, those kids just need to learn how to stay grounded in reality.” He shook his head. “Just like that Ozwold.” He grimaced as he stabbed his steak. “That kid…maybe it’s a good thing he’s out there somewhere, it’ll teach him to pay more attention to reality.”

“Dad!” May sprang from her seat.

“What?” He looked at her as if challenging her to his opinion. “Am I wrong?”

“Honey…” her mom reached out to hold her husbands hand.

“Don’t touch me!” He pulled his hand away. “Jesus women…” he stabbed his steak again and took a big bite. His chewing stung May’s ears.

“I’m gonna go find him,” May covered her food with a pot covering. She then covered the other food. “He’ll want some.” She said as she made her way to the door.

She looked back, her father was still grumbling as he ate, her mother seemed on the verge of tears. May hated when they acted like this, silence was so much worse.

——

May searched through the forest, tearing down branches and bushes that got in her way. The entire time she screamed Ozzy’s name. She heard no response.

“Gods where is he?” May grumbled.

Deep in the forest she heard something, it sounded like…a laugh?

“Ozzy!” May ran toward the laughter, pushing aside branches and bushes as she ran. “Ozzy!”

“May?” The laughter stopped.

May burst through the bushes and into a clearing. There she found me. I was kneeling on the ground. My hair singed with fire and soot all over my face. There was still a dumb smile on my face.

“May!” I held up my hand. They were covered in burns. “Guess what? This guy he agreed to help me and and I’m soon gonna be strong enough so you don’t have to protect me anymore! Mom and Dad, they, their gonna-“

I stopped, because she was staring at me like…like I’d gone insane.

“Are you insane?!” She ran over to me and grabbed my hand. “Have you…” she looked around and made sure no one was watching. “Been practicing dark magic?”

I must have looked dumbfounded, because that’s how I felt. “No no,” I shook my head. “It’s hardly dark magic. It’s actually really awesome-“

“No!” She yelled at me. “You will stop this instant!” She began to grip my wrist hard, way too hard.

“May, stop, your hurting me-“

“Dark magic is forbidden! You know that! It’s always been that way! If your caught doing this what do you think they’ll do to you-?!”

“May! Stop! You’re hurting me! Let go!” I tried desperately to pull my wrist from her grip.

Her eyes were frantic and I was worried she wouldn’t hear me but she let go. My wrist was purple, I rubbed it softly.

“I’m-I’m sorry I-i didn’t.” She looked down at her hands with horror. “Just…Just Stop. Don’t practice dark magic. It’s not worth it.”

I wanted to shout at her, why couldn’t she understand? If I did this everyone would finnaly stop looking down on me, mom and dad would notice me for once. I would be strong.

Did she not want me to be strong? Maybe that was it, she wanted all the glory for herself. I silently made a declaration to myself, clenching my fist.

“It’s time for dinner.” Her voice was filled with sympathy, or that’s what it sounded like.

“K.” I slowly got up, whipped myself off and took her hand. We began to walk home. Behind me I could hear Erebus chuckle.

——

A few days past without any disturbance. May didn’t talk to me about the incident in the woods again, though she did try to get me to join her in training. I always made up some sort of excuse to leave. She must’ve noticed something was up but she never said anything.

A year had passed by the time when Eredus shared with me the news.

“I’m going to leave soon.” He had told me.

I looked up to him from where I sat on the ground, my clothes and face covered in dirt.

“When? Why?” I didn’t understand why he would be leaving so soon. It had been a year of training and I had gotten more muscular and felt stronger. I always hid my muscles and scars with make up and extra clothes so no one knew.

“I have tought you all I can.” He said simply. “Tomorrow will be your last challenge, and my last request of you. Then you will gain the last thing I can teach you.”

In the year he had been teaching me he would often ask me to kill monsters in exchange for new techniques. I wondered what the last challenge would be.

“Alright.” I raised my hand. “I’ll do this for you, and then you leave, and give me this new power. Deal?”

He smirked, that same wicked smirk he had given me a year ago.

He took my hand and shook it. “Deal.”

——

The next day I wondered again what my challenge would be. The monsters I had fought up until now had never been anything too dangerous, he had always guided me. Now he was gone and I would be on my own. I felt, confident, at the idea. I smiled.

May must’ve notice because she asked me if I had met someone. I didn’t understand her question though I said yes, she seemed to like that answer.

At around noon the village siren blared, everyone was advised to stay inside until further notice.

“I wonder what it could be.” May said. She gazed out the window at the village gates.

“Who knows.” I said earnestly. We couldn’t see anything from here but we both must have assumed it was by the entrance.

“I’m gonna go check it out.” May turned to me. “Stay here alright?”

I nodded and she went. Although I had agreed to stay I had also made a deal with Erebus to defeat whatever it was that was here. I followed along behind May.

I made sure to hide behind the structures to avoid being spotted by her. I thought I was doing well until she turned and stared me directly in the eyes. She didn’t seem surprised, just sad.

“I told you to stay Ozzy.”

I sighed and rubbed my arm. “I’m sorry I was just curious.” I looked down.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “It’s fine Ozzy, just go back. Be curious another day. I don’t want you getting hurt.

I looked at her, I silently made up my mind. “May I can take care of myself! I won’t get hurt I can protect myself now, I know you said you didn’t want me talking with that guy but-“

“Ozzy!” She looked at me with horror and fear. “You-?! I didn’t want it to be true…you’ve doomed us all you know that?”

Confusion washed over me. “Wh-what? No no this is a good thing! I’ll be able to help you now I can fight with you-“

“NO OZZY.” She shouted at me, her face contourted with anger. “Do you know what the punishment for practicing dark magic is?”

I had never read up on the rules. I never found them interesting. She must’ve taken my silence as an answer because she yelled again.

“Death!” She screamed at me. “The death penalty, and not just for the practicer oh no,” she motioned to their home. “The whole family. They hope by getting rid of the root the branches won’t sprout bad fruit. You are the bad fruit. And you will have dammed us all!” She closed the distance between us and grabbed my collar. “Do you know that?! Do you?!” She shook me like a small kitten.

“No! No! I’m sorry sis I didn’t-!”

“Don’t call me that!” Her voice cracked. “I am no longer your sister from this day on if you chose to use that dark magic.” Her eyes were red and brimmed with tears. “Do you understand?!”

I was silent. I stared at her. She had always cared for me. I thought she had. I hadn’t realized it but, a tear drop had fallen down my cheek. May looked at me with regret.

“I’m sorry I- I just don’t-“ she hugged me. I heard her sobs as she held me tighter.

I relished it. Because after this, she would never hug me again.

A loud crash sounded behind her, she turned and we could hear people screaming. May let go of me and ran to the noise. My arms felt empty without her. But I would have to get used to it.

I ran after her. At the entrance of the village I found a monster, unlike any I had ever seen. It was a large eagle, or that’s what it appeared like at first glance. At second glance, it looked more like a lion. It was a Griffon. I had read about them had never seen any before, and this one, it seemed way too large.

May was trying to keep the thing back by fighting it but it simply tossed her around like a rag doll. This was my chance. My big chance to prove myself. Then after I would get that power from…

I paused. If I really went through with this, May and mom, they could…

I began running anew, I shouted something at the Griffen, I don’t remember what. I threw myself at it, I jumped higher than I ever had before and unleashed a cloud of black mist. Encasing us both and sealing off anyone on the outside.

——

“Ozzy! Oz! Ozwald!” May banged on the black wall, her hands were bloodied from continuous punching at the unbreakable force. Her face was stained with tears, she screamed until her voice was raw.

An old lady came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Cmon dear, let’s go.” She gently urged May away from the force.

“No! I I can’t,” May collapsed to the ground, she covered her face in her hands and sobbed. The old women comforted her.

It had been 8 hours since Ozzy had entered that contained force with the Griffen. No one knew what had happened. The town had since started to migrate outside, the screams kept them inside but they soon realized the danger was contained and went out.

“Black magic…tch.” An old man grimaced. Others gasped at his words, they all started murmuring about who could be inside.

May knew if she stayed like this people would start to suspect something was up. She slowly got up on wobbly legs and walked away with the old women. The two sat down a ways away. The old women was still holding May.

“You knew ‘em?” She asked.

“Yes, my brother.” May didn’t know why she was being honest. It just felt natural.

“Hmm? I don’t believe he is your brother.” May looked to the old women, her eyes were honest.

“I- I guess you’re right. I- I don’t know him.” May held up head and curled up on herself.

“That’s right. And no one has ever seen ya together?” The old women asked.

“No ma’am, mom and dad…they didn’t like people knowing he was theirs.” She wanted to cry again.

“Cruel people.” The old woman grimaced.

“Who are you?” May asked, “I have never seen you around town.”

The old woman chuckled. “Ohoho. Call me Nyx dear. I should be going now, I hope you make the right choice.” The old women then began to sink into her shadow, and disappeared.

May stared at where the women used to sit with shock. She then smiled.

“Ah! Look! A crack!” Screamed a villager. She pointed and everyone looked, even May. Her eyes widened.

On the side of the big dome was a crack, and it was getting bigger. May quickly stood up before realizing, she didn’t know him. She hesitated before she decided to go comfort some elderly and children.

——

For eight hours I had fought that monster. I now stood over its dead body, its blood poured slowly around it. It had been the toughest fight yet, yet for some reason. I couldn’t stop smiling.

The dome was cracking, light was pouring in, blinding me after eight hours in almost pitch black.

“Hey! Eredus? I beat your monster. Come on out.” I called for him. My voice echoed off the walls of the dome.

I looked around for him but still found no one. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw an old lady. She was just standing there. No one should have been able to get inside the dome.

“Who are-?” Suddenly she was right in front of me. I jumped and almost fell down.

“Ohoho my.” The old lady laughed. “Ya know, Eredus has told me much about you.”

I was stunned. “He-he has?”

“Oh yes.” The lady’s eyes turned to crescents, and about how you will do him one last favor yes?”

I studied the old lady. “Yes?”

“Wonderful dear.”

Then everything went to black.

——

Suddenly I was back outside the dome, and I was watching everyone from high above, it felt like I was floating. I did not know how, until I looked down. There my body was, standing and talking to an officer. It was hard but I could hear some of the conversation.

“You have no family here?”

“Yes sir.”

“You have done us a favor, you will be spared the death penalty. You shall be exiled, never to return. You will be publicly banned from any nearby villages, do you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good, now leave.”

My body began to walk, it made its way to the gate. I knew something must’ve gone wrong in the process of accepting the deal, I tried to direct my new form towards my body. My body walked out of the town barriers and I tried to follow but, I couldn’t pass.

“No no no no.” I banged on the invisible force blocking me from going outside. How could this have happened?

I looked back to the village, I could see my sister, May holding back tears. She had seemed to age fifty years while I had been gone. I desperately tried to call out to her but my voice wouldn’t reach. I was stuck forever.

My new form sunk to the ground, I wanted to weep but my eyes held no tears.

“I was able to protect it but…” I looked to my sister, and to the village.

And to my body outside the village. It turned back to me and on its face I saw a smirk.

The same smirk Erebus had given me a year ago.

—-

OH GOD THIS GOT WAY TOO LONG! But uhm yeah I might post this to AO3 bc it got quite long 😭 if anyone made it this far, uh thanks?!

#literal masterpiece #writing #writers of tumblr #writeblr #creative writing #this should have at least 100k pls #literally made me cry

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